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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Last year when my paternal Grandma downsized, this lovely pedestal came into my possession. It's a nice size, but in need of a slight makeover.

I started off by unscrewing the legs and taking off the fabric. The bottom was glued, so I had to do some prying and ripping, but it eventually came off. The stuffing was interesting - not really a pillow or a foam pad...it was sort of like a square of "stuff". I'm not really sure what this "stuff" was, but it was soft and it didn't smell so I didn't replace it.

I flipped over the pedestal on top of the new fabric and cut about 3 1/2 inches past the edge of the pedestal so that there was enough fabric to staple to the back.

I also cut a piece of white fabric that I had laying around to hold the "stuffing" in place. I stapled that first to make sure everything stayed in place.

Next it was time to put the new fabric into place. I folded up two sides and stapled those.

Then I folded the corners. When I posted about my patio chair redo, I put a link to a video that better shows how to fold corners. Here's my version:

Put as many staples as you need to ensure that the fabric is tight. After the corners were done, I cut a piece of fabric that was just about the same size as the bottom of the pedestal and used tacky glue to glue it to the back. This just makes it have a clean and neat look to the bottom.

Then came the tricky part - finding the screw holes to but the legs back on. I just used my fingers to feel around until I felt an indent. Then I took a screw and poked a hole in the fabric. Once I found all three, I attached the legs to the pedestal. The legs actually unscrew from the base that holds them, making it easy to use a screwdriver (I only found this out AFTER I had already struggled to screw on three of the legs).

After all legs were tightly attached, I was finished ! What I nice little makeover for a cute little stool.

What did you reupholster or makeover lately?Now you can Do It Yourself Too !~Stephanie

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ever since we bought the house back in May, I knew that I wanted to touch up the fireplace in our basement. It had a beautiful white mantel, but also a blank, black space above the hearth:

During an innocent trip to Lowe's for some lightbulbs, out of the corner of my eye, I spied some GORGEOUS glass tile:

At $4.98 for a 12x12 sheet of tile, I couldn't pass it up. I purchased two of them. I knew it would be the perfect touch to the fireplace. I've never tiled before, so I asked a nice Lowe's employee to point me in the direction of the smallest amount of mortar and grout that I could buy. I knew I only needed a little bit because the area was so small. He showed me two tubs of both that were perfect. I picked up a trowel and a grout sponge and I was ready to go.

The mortar was a ready-to-use, no mix adhesive and the grout was unsanded white. I just had to add water to it.

First, I cut the sheet almost in half with a box cutter and matched it up the way it would be on the fireplace.

Then I measured the extra spaces to see where I needed to cut the tiles to fit in the small spaces on either end. I borrowed my neighbor's scorer and tile pliers for this part. I had to put a tile on top of another in order for the scorer to touch the tile. The scorer just makes a slight groove in the tile and then the tile can be snapped right where the line is.

After I scored the tile, I just used the pliers to snap it where it was scored. I did it over a trash can in case the glass shattered. I did have one shatter, but the rest were a success.

Once all the pieces fit, I was ready to start "actually" tiling.I spread the adhesive on with a scraper tool and then used a 1/4" square notched trowel.

In hindsight, I probably should have used a smaller grooved trowel, but it got the job done. Then I just placed the strips of glass tile on the adhesive and then placed the smaller pieces on the ends. Everything fit perfectly.

Once it was dry, I could start the grout. First I had to tape paint stirrers to the bottom of where I just tiled so that I could grout an end.

For the grout, I added water and mixed it up. Then I just plopped it on over the tile with the scraper, making sure to push it in each crevice. If I happened to see an air bubble, I just put a little grout on my finger and shoved it in the bubble.

After that, I used the sponge and wiped the grout off in a diagonal fashion. This ensures that you're not actually wiping out the grout, but moving it more into the crevices. Make sure to have a bucket of water to rinse out the sponge (You will do it often). A rag is also useful in case you need to wipe something down.

Once the grout dried for about a day, I used the scraper to separate the grout from the paint stirrers. They came off fairly easy. Some grout came with it, but not too much. Then I took some sandpaper to smooth out the edge.

After that, the tile was practically finished ! I just needed to seal it. I just followed the directions on the back and used a paint brush to brush the sealer over the tile. I put one coat on, let dry for about 15 minutes, put on another coat, and then wiped it off. So simple !

I LOVE the way that the tile looks on the fireplace. Not too shabby for my first tiling job.

What little update made a big difference in your home?Now you can Do It Yourself Too !~Stephanie

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Since my last major clean-up of my craft area in February, my craft area started to get a bit cluttered again:

It's a bit messy, but it's been worse. However, it was in need of an update. I've been wanting to get a new table for some time now, as this one is, from what I'm told, is my great-grandma's. As lovely as it is, it's a bit musty smelling and the paint is chipping and most objects stick to the paint on the top. I finally got the push to go to IKEA and get a new table. I love how inexpensive their tables can be. I picked up the VIKA AMON ($26) top and four VIKA ADILS legs ($3.50 each !) for my new table.

It was simple to put together. They had predrilled holes in the top for the legs to go in. I just followed the directions to attach the legs to the top:

Then I rearranged my area a bit and organized some and voila:

My area is once again organized and now I have a more functional table top to work on. It's smooth, not stinky, and doesn't attach itself to anything I put on it. I <3 IKEA.Before and after:

In addition to the table, I purchased some KASSET boxes to hid some of the stuff that was just lying around. They contain ribbon, thread, and "random" stuff. I might make more curtain panels, but right now I like the half covered look. I'd also like to DIY some book ends for the top shelf. The new look makes me happy. Hope it helps to inspire some organization!Now you can Do It Yourself Too !

About Me

Welcome to Simply DIY2! My husband and I bought our first house in May (2011) and I am happily making changes (sometimes with Kerry's help) to make it into our own. I'll be sharing my experiences and projects as I go along. Hope you enjoy the blog and can use the ideas as inspiration to do it yourself too!